Behind the Closet
by notawritersh
Summary: Peter shouldn't have ignored his senses. May's new boyfriend sucks, and hopefully he doesn't have to explain anything to Mister Stark. Takes place after Homecoming.
1. See You Tomorrow

I'm procastinating and I'm sad, perfect mix.

Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel.

Also, this is not meant to romanticisize abuse or abusers in any way.

NATIONAL DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HOTLINE: 800-799-SAFE

* * *

Peter shouldn't have ignored his senses.

May had been acting off for a while, ever since she started seeing her new boyfriend, Derek. He had remembered remarking to her about how stupid of a name it was, only to be waved off with a giggle and a nudge in the shoulder.

In truth, he guessed Derek was okay. He kept getting weird tingles now and then whenever he was around the house sometimes, but Peter thought that it was just his spider senses acting up. It began by just a small feeling, little vibrations at the back of his head trying to warn him, but whenever he had looked around nothing was there. Derek had looked at him with a confused expression every time Peter's eyes landed on the man. He didn't really blame him; he'd be confused too, if some teenager looked around wildly and looked at him like he was crazy.

Derek seemed like a really cool guy in his opinion. He certainly had more money than them, but Peter thought that the man didn't seem to mind. He seemed kind enough, and helped May pay the bills for the apartment and even offered to let them stay at his place for a couple of times. Sure, Derek had looked at Peter strangely a couple of times, but the teen thought that it was just because of how he looked. He made off topic remarks sometimes, about how Peter looked scrawny and that he should be doing better in school, which made the teen a bit more self conscious. He supposed that was just because of Derek's personality, so he didn't really take it to heart _that _much.

Derek was your average white boy society image; muscular, blond hair, a high paying steady job.

Well, "job," as in he worked for Tony Stark.

Peter's mentor.

The first time he saw him it was when he was taking a taxi to the Avenger's upstate compound. He had known about Derek for a few weeks now. Peter thought it would be nice to get the Mister Happy, Miss Potts, and Mister Stark some coffee, and would also provide good cover on him being an "intern" around the place. He was on his way to the elevator when Derek's voice had rang out and Peter almost dropped the drink tray he was holding. The man asked him what he was doing there- and, it might've just been him, but he sounded a lot more harsh than usual. Peter told him that he was Tony's intern, and Derek had reluctantly let him go.

The entire time, his senses were going off like crazy, so he didn't really hear much of what Derek said after he asked him why he was there.

Peter had been quiet in the lab afterwards, only answering when Tony asked him a question. He didn't know _why_ his senses were being so weird. They've never failed him before, so why were they warning him about Derek?

Tony had asked him what was wrong, why he was looking like some kid from a coming of age movie, and Peter just sighed and came up with some silly excuse, which Tony had believed.

When he went home that day, Peter saw Derek relaxing on their couch and May cleaning up something in the kitchen; a broken plate? He asked her about it and she had only waved him off with a weak chuckle and told him to finish their food. Ever since the man had entered their lives, their fridge was always full of ingredients ready to be cooked into meals. His aunt had then attended a few cooking classes so that she could finally cook semi-decent food. It was nice, before he finally figured out what was happening.

It began with him noticing that May was wearing more makeup than usual. Peter asked her why she was wearing makeup because he thought that she stayed home today, and May had shrugged and told him that she was experimenting. She changed the subject to ask him if he was going to go out patrolling tonight. She asked him that every night now, ever since the events during homecoming.

Peter wouldn't have minded the subject switch if his eyes hadn't noticed the sliver of black and blue underneath May's translucent makeup. At first, he didn't really know why it was there, and he didn't ask about it. He was staring at it more and more as they continued eating their dinner- Derek had long since left their apartment to go back to his own place.

But the more Peter stared at her eye, the longer he became worried, so he told May to go wash off the makeup. May had protested against it, saying that she'll just wash it off when he went to bed, which only made his senses go haywire. Finally, with enough begging, May agreed, and when she came back out from the bathroom, she kept her head down, only confirming his suspicions.

He didn't know what to feel, really. Even if she had tried to hide the bruise from Peter, he could still see the black eye. Peter hesitated before asking if it came from Derek, and May replied with a yes before telling him that everything was okay between them. Peter was furious at the thought of someone hurting his aunt, and that had resulted in an argument which ended in tears from May, who told him what he had done before Peter found out.

He felt sick, afterwards, and he didn't finish his food. Peter spent the rest of that night comforting May and making ice packs to reduce the swelling. He had ran his fingers through her hair, and May had told him stories of his parents. They both fell asleep eventually, finding comfort in each other's presence.

* * *

This is how he found himself currently locked in a closet, panicking while May was at work.

It was Friday, and it was an early release day. Instead of getting picked up by Happy, though, Peter texted him to say that something had came up and that he couldn't make it. Happy had left him on read, but he supposed that he couldn't care less. In fact, he was probably happy for once since meeting Peter. The thought made Peter laugh as he took the subway train home.

Unfortunately, Derek was unexpectedly there. Peter was in a moment of panic when he saw the man just chilling there, fiddling around with a Stark tablet. The man had grinned at him and asked him some questions on how he could improve something he was working on in his job, explaining how he was one of the lab workers who help Mister Stark in some of his products.

He asked him in such a kind and caring tone, even though Peter's entire body was screaming at him to get away from the man, and he had blurted out, "I know you hit May."

Derek had looked at him in a surprised expression, and tried to calmly explain to him how he would never do such a thing, but Peter continued on telling him how he _knows,_ he knows what he's done to her and that he needs to break up with her or else... or else something. This made the man angry and resulted in a harsh slap across Peter's face.

The teen had stumbled back in a moment of shock. He had never had anyone, not even May, hit him before; well, except for the bad guys that he fought every day. He especially didn't expect _Derek_ of all people to hit him. His face stung as Peter looked up at the man, who's kind face twisted into a sort of furious expression. Derek threatened him, dared him to tell Stark about this. Peter had bitten his lip so hard that it started bleeding, and was shoved forcefully into a closet.

Peter hit his head against the shelf and cried out as multiple things fell on top of him, making him relive the moment the warehouse roof had collapsed. Derek closed the door with a satisfied smirk and dusted himself off, threatening Peter a little bit more before leaving to grab coffee and head to his house.

This is how Peter found himself hyperventilating in the closet, memories of the fateful warehouse incident clear in his head. He found himself crying out as he felt the walls close in on him, and he only came to his senses when his phone dinged, indicating he had gotten a text message. He opened the closet door, feeling relief when he realized that the man had left, and checked his phone.

It was Mister Stark, saying, "Pete, can you at least come by tomorrow? Pepper's mad that I bought six massage chairs and it would be nice to show her that it was worth it. You and Aunt Hottie can bring one home, if you want. T.S."

Peter let out a breathless laugh as he sent, "sure thing mr stark. also, you don't have to sign every message you send, you know that right?"

Peter put his phone in his pocket as he began to gingerly, began putting the shelf back up and organized the closet before getting another message. "I'll take that to consideration, Mister Parker. T.S."

The teen sighed in amusement and scrunched up his face, wincing slightly. He put down his phone and closed the closet door, satisfied by its cleanliness. Peter walked into the bathroom and looked into the mirror, noticing a few small cuts on his face as well as a small bruise by his cheek. He frowned as he grabbed some polysporin, smothering the cuts. They would heal before May got home.

So while he waited, he finished his homework and went patrolling to try and forget what had happened.


	2. Two Too Many

i accidentally posted the first chapter my dumbass

* * *

It was a quiet dinner that night, and it unnerved Peter.

Their minds were both still processing what had happened the day before, and the teen really couldn't blame May. So much shit has happened to her and he wished that he could just take all the weight off her shoulders and stack in onto his own. He hated it, hated how this had been happening for a while, for weeks, possibly, and yet Peter was clueless. Perhaps he had been blinded by Derek at first, blinded by the fact that, hey, maybe I'll finally get my chance at having a dad.

He wished he had noticed sooner.

May tried to talk to him a couple times while they ate, asking how school was and why he had skipped going to the Avengers compound. Peter gave her simple answers, still pretty distracted over what had happened when he got home.

He didn't mention it to his aunt though, in fear of worrying her when she had enough to be worried about. Instead, Peter told her that he was going to the subway early so he could get a ride upstate. May hesitated before giving him permission to go, giving Peter a spare five dollars so he could buy food on his way there.

It was awkward for a long time. Peter tried to make conversation as he washed and dried the dishes, only to be met by silence and hesitation. He couldn't really blame him, now he knows how much Derek sucked. He just wished that there was some way he could play a better role in it.

May noticed how clean and organized the closet was and she asked Peter about it.

He replied with a simple, "I wanted to help out," and she bought it, which he was immensely thankful for. She didn't deserve anything else on her plate, and that night he made several ice packs for them in case Derek steps out of line again.

Peter couldn't sleep, so he went patrolling, fought and arrested small time crooks until five in the morning, when he swung back into his room. He forced himself not to lay down on the bed and promptly pass out. There was no use in trying to sleep when there's only a few hours left until he had to leave, so instead he got himself ready; he washed his face, brushed his teeth, took a shower, all that jazz. He tinkered around with his web shooters, talking to Karen as the sun started to rise.

He stopped working for a bit to admire the beauty of it, to look at the scenery in awe for how pretty the sky's colours look in the morning. Peter didn't get much time for that, since he was always either running late or he was too busy in his mind to truly acknowledge it.

But anyways, he grabbed a few cereal bars and a juice box, writing May a note telling her that he loved her before Peter left. he even drew a little smiley face inside a heart.

Peter grabbed his backpack, lugging it onto his shoulder. Inside was his suit, plus a few notebooks on the research and possible things he could change in his suit or make new, and a a couple packs of pencils. He usually also brought his homework there, but he had finished it last night, so he didn't have to.

Now he knew what adults meant when they tell you to finish your homework early. He smiled at the thought, plugged his earbuds in, and turned the music up as he entered the subway train. Peter stood up so that other people could use the seats, and texted Tony, telling him that he was on his way and reminding him that it was him texting. You know, in case he ever forgot.

Ned also started texting him, indicating that he was up, and they chatted excitedly until the train came to a stop. Peter put in a few wrinkled dollars into a box by the exit and left, walking towards the building. He turned down the music and apologized to his best friend, telling him that they'll chat some more after he was done "interning."

He almost completely forgot what had happened last night, when he saw Derek working in a lab with a bunch of other people. Peter froze, and their eyes met.

His senses were practically going crazy, but he still stood his ground, turning his head away as he walked to the elevator. He stopped as the man walked in front of him, giving him a seemingly warm smile. "Peter, I didn't know you worked on the weekends too," he said pleasantly, and Peter wanted to punch him square in his perfect nose for what he had done.

"Hey, Mister Carlson," Peter said quietly, not daring to look at him in the eye. Tidbits of what had happened the day before had come back, and he was not liking the memories one bit. He tried to step aside so that he could use the elevator, but Derek blocked his way.

"What are you doing here? Surely..."

"I'm doing some lab work with Mister Stark, sir," he mumbled, then added in a quiet tone, "I won't tell anyone, you have my word." He looked up at him for added effect, imitating false sincerity. His voice shook slightly, and even if Peter would never admit it, he was scared.

Of him.

The man smiled, satisfied as he patted the kid's shoulder, ignoring the flinch. "Good job, smart. You're a good kid, you know that? I'll see you on Monday, yeah?"

"Yeah, yeah, sounds good." Peter replied breathlessly as he watched him walk away. His touch had made him cringe and his senses were yelling at him until he reached the top floor, where Tony was waiting. He took a few calming breaths and fixed his hair, muttering about how he needed to buy gel.

God, he wanted so badly to just punch him in the gut and tell him that he was Spider-Man, so that he could finally leave them alone and May could find a new boyfriend, but his thoughts were interrupted by the one and only,

Tony goddamn Stark.

Peter should've been thankful, but he only felt worse. His mentor was a damn genius, and he didn't know if he was going to somehow find out or what. Thankfully, that didn't seem to be the case. For today, at least. Instead, the man asked him what was up with May.

"She's, she's doing fine," Peter managed to reply, stumbling over his words. He didn't quite know how he was going to play off that his aunt was fine, but he seemed to be doing an okay job, for now.

Tony smiled and led Peter to his lab, chatting over some new improvements for his suit and asking him how his morning was. It was moments like these that Peter really felt... respected would be stepping over it, but he really felt like his mentor cared about him. It was a nice feeling, really, but he wasn't going to mention it to the man anytime soon, mostly in fear of him stopping.

"Is she still single? Hap's thinking of asking her out," he nudged him suggestively, and Peter made a face, which he assumed was of disgust. Pretty expected.

It was actually a guilty expression, guilty for not telling Tony. He had always reassured the kid that whatever happened, that he could always tell him, but he was still pretty hesitant. It was Mister Stark, after all, and he was probably just saying it to be nice. "She's.. erm.. she's actually seeing someone." Peter said. It wasn't a lie, he was just not telling the whole truth as to how the guy acts.

Tony nodded, opening the door to the lab and greeting Dum-E with a pat on the head. "Who's the lucky guy?"

"Derek Carlson."

Stark hummed, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he FRIDAY greeted Peter warmly. "Do I know him?"

"He works for you, sir." FRIDAY interuppted, and Peter raised an eyebrow, giving him a look. Tony shrugged, smiling.

"Ah. Yeah, he's cool. Smart, not as smart as you but he's still smart. He helped me out a couple times, really fun guy."

The fact that his mentor was saying it genuinely upset Peter, because damnit Derek probably wears a stupid mask like every other stupid abuser. He should've known that, given the fact that it took him so long to find out that he hits May. He scowled to himself.

It fell quiet for a bit, save for the occasional small talk, as they tinkered with their own individual suits. Tony let Peter fix part of his own Iron Man suit, and if Peter hadn't been more distracted, he would've lost his mind and burst into millions of questions.

As the teen fiddled around with a screen he was developing, he looked up and said, "what do you know about him?"

"What are you, an overprotective nephew or something?" Tony laughed, but nonetheless pulled his chair back. "Hm, well, he graduated as Salutatorian in his class.. uh, I think his resume mentioned working for several fast food places, oh, and he used to talk a lot about his old girlfriend."

Peter stopped tinkering and looked at his mentor, "what happened?"

Mister Stark only shrugged, frowning as he sighed, "I'm not sure. She was in Coney Island last I heard."

His body seemed to freeze as he remembered what had happened in that fight. Had he injured her? Did he... oh god. Did he-

Peter didn't watch the news for a few days after that event. He'd refuse to, he didn't want to see the destruction he caused and all the potential casualties- were there casualties? The thought made him sick, and he really hoped that wasn't the case. The entire fight he was just thinking of the Vulture and how he was going to kill himself, his mind was too foggy to realize that there might've been other people.

He might have let people die.

"Did she..."

Tony was silent for a bit before he looked at the teen with a sincere expression, "hey, don't think like that, okay? It wasn't your fault, you didn't know she was there."

And that confirmed it. Peter's throat closed up and he felt like he was going to be sick. His senses were overpowering him and he could barely tell the difference between the smell of oil and the smell of Tony's weird cologne.

He drew in a shaky breath, closing his eyes, "how many..."

Tony looked away for a minute, deciding how he was going to deliver such news. The kid didn't deserve that kind of guilt piled on top of his shoulders, but he couldn't sugar coat it either. "Only two." He said truthfully.

Peter made a small noise at the back of his throat.

_Two too many._

As if the man knew what he was thinking, Tony walked up to him and placed his hands on his shoulders. "It's okay, you're okay. It's not your fault, you can't save everyone." He spoke in a calming tone of voice, much different than what he was used to, and Peter almost burst into tears at the sound of them. "You're just a kid. It's okay."

"I could've-"

"Nu uh uh, only I'm allowed to think like that," he waved a finger in front of the kid's face, who looked up at him with tears in his eyes. Tony's heart almost broke at the sight of his face, and he awkwardly patted him on the head. "Wanna take your mind off of it? Massage chairs are still up." Even if the humour was inappropriate for the current scenario, Peter still gave him a small watery smile and shrugged, nodding.

"Sure, Mister Stark.


End file.
